Exercise device

ABSTRACT

An exercise device includes a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating element and a locked element. The sliding element is movably connected to the sliding track. The sliding element includes a locked base and a pivoting portion. The locked base has a first positioning hole. The rotating element is connected to the sliding element. The rotating element includes an arc track and a pivoting axis. The arc track is corresponding to the first positioning hole. The pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion. The rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a moving direction of the sliding element. The locked element is movably connected to the arc track and the first positioning hole. The rotating element is rotatable along the arc track on the sliding element.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number104209374, filed Jun. 11, 2015, which is herein incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an exercise device. More particularly,the present disclosure relates to an abdominal exercise device.

Description of Related Art

Exercise devices make raining day and limited ground no longer beproblems of doing exercise. Therefore, exercise devices are mainpriority for modern people who are always busy but want to keep inshape. It is well-known that walking and running are body exercise whichnot only can burn calories and firm muscles but also can enhancemyocardial function and increase lung capacity. Accordingly, treadmills,steppers, and elliptical trainers are most common exercise devicecompared to others on the present market. However, users barely traintheir abdominal muscles when using those exercise device andimprovements of muscle strength and body shape are mostly concentratedon their calf only.

Conventional abdominal exercise device, such as sit-ups are known tocause overload to the spine and neck and can easily cause injury whensitting up from a prone position to a sitting position. To overcome thisproblem, many abdominal exercise devices have been created in an attemptto develop and maintain the abdominal muscles. Unfortunately theseabdominal exercise devices often produce results which do notnecessarily strengthen the abdominal muscles but strengthen the hip andthigh muscles attached to the lumbar spine area and to the rear of thepelvis and hip bones. When such muscles contract not only does therectus muscle of the abdomen work with little effort but the othermuscles rotate the pelvis forward thus creating the occurrence ofincreased lower back pain which contributes to poor mechanical alignmentand undesirable upright posture of the user. In addition, no exercisedevice for stably, safely and effectively executing abdominal exercisehas been developed nowadays. Therefore, an exercise device havingeffective rotation, stable actuation and human-based control iscommercially desirable.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an exercise deviceincludes a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating element and alocked element. The sliding element is movably connected to the slidingtrack. The sliding element includes a locked base and a pivotingportion. The locked base has a first positioning hole. There is a seconddistance between the locked base and the pivoting portion. The rotatingelement is connected to the sliding element. The rotating elementincludes an arc track and a pivoting axis. There is a third distancebetween the arc track and the pivoting axis. The second distance isequal to the third distance. The arc track is corresponding to the firstpositioning hole. The pivoting axis is pivotally connected to thepivoting portion. The rotating element is rotatable at an angle relativeto a moving direction of the sliding element. The locked element ismovably connected to the arc track and the first positioning hole. Therotating element is rotatable along the arc track on the slidingelement.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an exercisedevice includes a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating elementand a locked element. The sliding element is movably connected to thesliding track. The sliding element includes a locked base, an inclinedpositioning hole and a pivoting portion. The locked base has a firstpositioning hole. There is a second distance between the locked base andthe pivoting portion. The rotating element is connected to the slidingelement. The rotating element includes at least one inclined fixinghole, an arc track and a pivoting axis. There is a third distancebetween the arc track and the pivoting axis. The second distance isequal to the third distance. The arc track is corresponding to the firstpositioning hole. The pivoting axis is pivotally connected to thepivoting portion. The rotating element is rotatable at an angle relativeto a moving direction of the sliding element. The locked element ismovably connected to the inclined positioning hole and the inclinedfixing hole. The rotating element which is inclined at the anglerelative to the moving direction of the sliding element is positioned onthe sliding element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading thefollowing detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made tothe accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exercise device according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A shows a schematic view of a sliding track, a sliding element, arotating element and a locked element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B shows an exploded view of the sliding track, the slidingelement, the rotating element and the locked element of the exercisedevice of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the rotating element centrally lockedon the sliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the exercise device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the rotating element inclinedly lockedon the sliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the rotating element swung on thesliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a sliding element and a rotatingelement according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a sliding element and a rotatingelement according to further another embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exercise device 100 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2A shows a schematic view ofa sliding track 200, a sliding element, a rotating element and a lockedelement of the exercise device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2B shows an exploded viewof the sliding track, the sliding element, the rotating element and thelocked element of the exercise device of FIG. 2A; FIG. 3 shows aschematic view of the rotating element centrally locked on the slidingelement of the exercise device of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 shows a sectionalview of the exercise device taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3. In FIG. 1A,the exercise device 100 includes a sliding track 200, a sliding element300, a rotating element 400, a locked element 500 and a frame body 600.

The sliding track 200 includes two sliding bars 210 a, 210 b, two upperstoppers 220 a, 220 b and the two lower stoppers 230 a, 230 b. The twosliding bars 210 a, 210 b are arranged parallel to each other andseparated by a first distance D1. The upper stopper 220 a is disposed ona front end of the sliding bar 210 a. The upper stopper 220 b isdisposed on a front end of the sliding bar 210 b. The two upper stoppers220 a, 220 b are used for preventing upward movement of the slidingelement 300. In other words, the sliding element 300 can be moved upwardmost to the position of the two upper stoppers 220 a, 220 b which arepositioned at the same height from the ground. On the contrary, thelower stopper 230 a is disposed on a back end of the sliding bar 210 a.The lower stopper 230 b is disposed on a back end of the sliding bar 210b. The two lower stoppers 230 a, 230 b are used for preventing downwardmovement of the sliding element 300, so that the sliding element 300 canbe moved downward most to the position of the two lower stoppers 230 a,230 b which are positioned at the same height from the ground.Therefore, the sliding element 300 may be moved between the two upperstoppers 220 a, 220 b and the two lower stoppers 230 a, 230 b. Thesliding element 300 is connected to the two lower stoppers 230 a, 230 bin a stationary state (unused state).

The sliding element 300 is movably connected to two sliding bars 210 a,210 b of the sliding track 200. The sliding element 300 includes a topportion 310, two inclined portions 320 a, 320 b, four inclined bearings322 a, 322 b, 322 c, 322 d, four lug portions 330 a, 330 b, 330 c, 330d, two connecting bars 340 a, 340 b, four bottom bearings 342 a, 342 b,342 c, 342 d, a pivoting portion 360 and a locked base 370. The topportion 310 is a flat plate and has two opposite surfaces. The twosurfaces of the top portion 310 are parallel to both of the two slidingbars 210 a, 210 b. The top portion 310 is connected to the pivotingportion 360 and the locked base 370. The top portion 310 has a centerpositioning hole 350 a and an inclined positioning hole 350 b. The twoopposite surfaces of the top portion 310 are connected by the centerpositioning hole 350 a and the inclined positioning hole 350 b. The twoinclined portions 320 a, 320 b are connected to two opposite sides ofthe top portion 310, respectively. The two inclined portions 320 a, 320b are inclined downwardly from the two opposite sides of the top portion310, respectively. The two inclined bearings 322 a, 322 c are pivotallyconnected to the inclined portion 320 a, and the other two inclinedbearings 322 b, 322 d are pivotally connected to the inclined portion320 b. The two inclined bearings 322 a, 322 c are rollably disposed onthe sliding bar 210 a, and the other two inclined bearings 322 b, 322 dare rollably disposed on the sliding bar 210 b, so that the slidingelement 300 can be movable along the sliding track 200.

The four lug portions 330 a, 330 b, 330 c, 330 d have four lug holes 332a, 332 b, 332 c, 332 d, respectively. The two lug holes 332 a, 332 b arecorresponding to each other, and the two lug holes 332 c, 332 d arecorresponding to each other. The two lug portions 330 a, 330 c areoutwardly extended from the inclined portion 320 a, and the two lugportions 330 b, 330 d are outwardly extended from the inclined portion320 b. The connecting bar 340 a is connected to the two lug holes 332 a,332 b, so that the top portion 310, the inclined portion 320 a, the lugportion 330 a, the connecting bar 340 a, the lug portion 330 b and theinclined portion 320 b are sequentially connected to form an opening.The two sliding bars 210 a, 210 b are arranged in the opening. Theconnecting bar 340 b is connected to the two lug holes 332 c, 332 d. Thetwo bottom bearings 342 a, 342 b are coaxially and pivotally connectedto the connecting bar 340 a. The two bottom bearings 342 c, 342 d arecoaxially and pivotally connected to the connecting bar 340 b. The twobottom bearings 342 a, 342 c and two bottom bearings 342 b, 342 d arerollably connected to the two sliding bars 210 a, 210 b, respectively,so that the sliding element 300 may be stably movable along the slidingtrack 200. The pivoting portion 360 is located between the two slidingbars 210 a, 210 b, and located between the center positioning hole 350 aand the inclined positioning hole 350 b. The pivoting portion 360 has ahollow cylindrical shape, an outer diameter and an inner diameter. Theouter diameter of the pivoting portion 360 is smaller than the firstdistance D1, so that the pivoting portion 360 may be disposed betweenthe two sliding bars 210 a, 210 b. Therefore, when the sliding element300 is moved on two sliding bars 210 a, 210 b of the sliding track 200,the stability and safety of the exercise device 100 can be significantlyimproved because a center of gravity of the pivoting portion 360 isclose to the sliding track 200. The locked base 370 has a firstpositioning hole 372. The locked base 370 has a hollow cylindricalshape. The locked base 370 is outwardly extended from the upper surfaceof the top portion 310 and has a thickness T, so that the locked element500 may be positioned by the locked base 370, and the first positioninghole 372 is located on the top portion 310. The first positioning hole372 has a depth, and the thickness T is equal to the depth. Thethickness T is greater than 0.5 cm and less than 5 cm. In FIG. 2B, thethickness T is 3 cm. There is a second distance D2 between the pivotingportion 360 and the locked base 370. The inclined positioning hole 350 bis located between the pivoting portion 360 and the locked base 370, sothat the second distance D2 is greater than a distance between theinclined positioning hole 350 b and the pivoting portion 360.

The rotating element 400 is connected to the sliding element 300. Therotating element 400 includes a rotating body 410, a pivoting axis 420,a center fixing hole 430 a, two inclined fixing holes 430 b, 430 c, avirtual line 440, an arc track 450 and two driving portions 460. Therotating body 410 is connected to the pivoting axis 420 and has arectangular shape. The center fixing hole 430 a, the two inclined fixingholes 430 b, 430 c and the arc track 450 are disposed on and passedthrough the rotating body 410. The virtual line 440 is passed through acenter of the pivoting axis 420 and the center fixing hole 430 a. Thevirtual line 440 is perpendicular to the pivoting axis 420 and parallelto an extending direction of the rotating body 410. The pivoting axis420 is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion 360. In FIG. 2A, whenthe rotating element 400 is moved along the sliding track 200 by a user,the sliding element 300 is driven to move along the sliding track 200 bythe pivoting axis 420 of the rotating element 400. The pivoting axis 420has a cylindrical shape, and a diameter of the pivoting axis 420 issmaller than the inner diameter of the pivoting portion 360, so that theuser can easily control the pivoting axis 420 to combine with to orseparate from the pivoting portion 360. When the virtual line 440 isparallel to the two sliding bars 210 a, 210 b, the center fixing hole430 a is aligned to the center positioning hole 350 a (the angle θ isequal to 0 degrees in FIG. 5). The two inclined fixing holes 430 b, 430c is located on two opposite sides of the virtual line 440,respectively. There is a third distance D3 between the arc track 450 andthe pivoting axis 420. The second distance D2 is equal to the thirddistance D3. The arc track 450 is corresponding to the first positioninghole 372. The two driving portions 460 are configured to abut upon kneesof the user, and can be moved by strengths of user's hands, legs andwaist for driving the movement of the rotating element 400 and thesliding element 300.

The locked element 500 has a positioning bar and a hand-held portion.The locked element 500 can be a plug or a T-shaped element. In FIG. 2B,the positioning bar of the locked element 500 is an elongated rod, andthe hand-held portion of the locked element 500 is a sphere. A diameterof the positioning bar of the locked element 500 is less than a diameterof the center fixing hole 430 a, a diameter of the inclined fixing hole430 b, a diameter of the inclined fixing hole 430 c, a diameter of thecenter positioning hole 350 a, the inclined positioning hole 350 b, thefirst positioning hole 372 or a width of the arc track 450, so that thelocked element 500 can be easily passed through the center fixing hole430 a, the inclined fixing holes 430 b, 430 c, the center positioninghole 350 a, the inclined positioning hole 350 b, the first positioninghole 372 or a width of the arc track 450.

The frame body 600 includes a supporting frame 610, an elbow abutmentportion 620, a bracket 630 and an electronic processor 640. The slidingtrack 200 is supported by the supporting frame 610. The elbow abutmentportion 620 is connected to the supporting frame 610 and the bracket630. The electronic processor 640 is electrically connected to thesliding element 300 and the rotating element 400, so that the electronicprocessor 640 can record a usage status of the exercise device 100.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the rotating element 400 inclinedlylocked on the sliding element 300 of the exercise device 100 of FIG. 1.The locked element 500 can be movably connected to the inclinedpositioning hole 350 b and one of the two inclined fixing holes 430 b,430 c. The rotating element 400 may be rotatable at an angle θ relativeto a moving direction of the sliding element 300 and rotatable inclockwise or counterclockwise relative to the sliding element 300. Whenthe rotating element 400 is rotated counterclockwise and the lockedelement 500 is connected to the inclined positioning hole 350 b and theinclined fixing hole 430 b, the rotating element 400 which is inclinedcounterclockwise at the angle θ relative to the moving direction of thesliding element 300 is positioned on the sliding element 300. The angleθ may be larger than or equal to 0 degrees and smaller than or equal to40 degrees. In FIG. 5, the angle θ is 21 degrees. When the rotatingelement 400 is rotated clockwise and the locked element 500 is connectedto the inclined positioning hole 350 b and the inclined fixing hole 430c, the rotating element 400 which is inclined clockwise at the angle θrelative to the moving direction of the sliding element 300 ispositioned on the sliding element 300. The user can train differentpositions of abdomen of the body depend on the locked element 500corresponding to the center fixing hole 430 a, the inclined fixing hole430 b or the inclined fixing hole 430 c.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the rotating element 400 swung on thesliding element 300 of the exercise device 100 of FIG. 1. The lockedelement 500 can be movably connected to the arc track 450 and the firstpositioning hole 372. When the locked element 500 is connected to thearc track 450 and the first positioning hole 372, the rotating element400 is rotatable in clockwise or counterclockwise along the arc track450 on the sliding element 300 and rotatable at an angle θ relative to amoving direction of the sliding element 300. The user can traindifferent positions of abdomen of the body according to clockwise orcounterclockwise rotation of the rotating element 400.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a sliding element 300 a and a rotatingelement 400 a according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.The sliding element 300 a includes a center positioning hole 350 a, apivoting portion 360 and three locked bases 370 a, 370 b, 370 c. Therotating element 400 a includes a rotating body 410, a pivoting axis420, a center fixing hole 430 a, two inclined fixing holes 430 d, 430 e,three arc tracks 450 a, 450 b, 450 c and two driving portions 460. Thethree locked bases 370 a, 370 b, 370 c is corresponding to the three arctracks 450 a, 450 b, 450 c, respectively. Each of the three locked bases370 a, 370 b, 370 c has a first positioning hole (not shown). The twoinclined fixing holes 430 d, 430 e have the same size and shape as thetwo inclined fixing holes 430 b, 430 c, respectively. The inclinedfixing holes 430 b, 430 c, 430 d, 430 e are located on differentpositions corresponding to the pivoting axis 420. The inclined fixingholes 430 d, 430 e and the three arc tracks 450 a, 450 b, 450 c arelocated on opposite sides of the pivoting axis 420. Distances betweenthe pivoting axis 420 and the three arc tracks 450 a, 450 b, 450 c aredifferent from each other. The user can select one of the three arctracks 450 a, 450 b, 450 c for different swing angles to achievedifferent training effects.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a sliding element 300 b and a rotatingelement 400 b according to further another embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The sliding element 300 b has a center positioning hole 350a, a pivoting portion 360 and a locked base 370. The rotating element400 b includes a rotating body 410, a pivoting axis 420, a center fixinghole 430 a, two inclined fixing holes 430 d, 430 e, an arc track 450 andtwo driving portions 460. The locked base 370 is corresponding to thearc track 450. The two driving portions 460 are connected to the twoopposite ends of the rotating body 410, and each of the two oppositeends of the rotating body 410 has an arc shape for connecting to asurface of one of the two driving portions 460. Hence, the rotating body410 of the rotating element 400 b has a maximum upper surface area, sothat the amount of are tracks or fixing holes disposed on the rotatingbody 410 can be increased by a manufacturer. In addition, when the twodriving portions 460 are connected to the two opposite ends of therotating body 410 of the rotating element 400 b, the user's center ofgravity is closer to the sliding track 200, and the stability and safetyof the sliding element 300 b and the rotating element 400 b can besignificantly improved.

According to the aforementioned embodiments and examples, the advantagesof the present disclosure are described as follows.

1. The exercise device of the present disclosure is for inclinedlypositioning the rotating element on the sliding element to traindifferent positions of abdomen of the body of the user depend on thelocked element aligned to the corresponding fixing hole and positioninghole.

2. The exercise device of the present disclosure is for trainingdifferent positions of abdomen of the body of the user according toclockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the rotating element.

3. The exercise device of the present disclosure can constrain the swingangle of the rotating element by the arc track to prevent damageresulting from too large swing angle.

4. The exercise device of the present disclosure can effectively improvethe stability and safety of the exercise device because the user'scenter of gravity can be closer to the sliding track than that of theconventional exercise device.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of the presentdisclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosurecover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise device, comprising: a sliding track;a sliding element movably connected to the sliding track, wherein thesliding element comprises a locked base and a pivoting portion, thelocked base has a first positioning hole, and there is a second distancebetween the locked base and the pivoting portion; a rotating elementconnected to the sliding element, wherein the rotating element comprisesan arc track and a pivoting axis, there is a third distance between thearc track and the pivoting axis, the second distance is equal to thethird distance, the arc track is corresponding to the first positioninghole, the pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion,and the rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a movingdirection of the sliding element; and a locked element movably connectedto the are track and the first positioning hole, wherein the rotatingelement is rotatable along the arc track on the sliding element.
 2. Theexercise device of claim 1, wherein the locked base has a thickness, thefirst positioning hole has a depth, and the thickness is equal to thedepth.
 3. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the rotating elementis rotatable in clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the slidingelement, and the angle is larger than or equal to 0 degrees and smallerthan or equal to 40 degrees.
 4. The exercise device of claim 1, whereinthe sliding track comprises two sliding bars, the two sliding bars arearranged parallel to each other and separated by a first distance, thepivoting portion is located between the two sliding bars, the pivotingportion has a hollow cylindrical shape, an outer diameter and an innerdiameter, the outer diameter of the pivoting portion is smaller than thefirst distance, the pivoting axis has a cylindrical shape, and adiameter of the pivoting axis is smaller than the inner diameter of thepivoting portion.
 5. The exercise device of claim 4, wherein the slidingelement further comprises: a top portion connected to the pivotingportion, wherein the first positioning hole is located on the topportion; two inclined portions connected to two opposite sides of thetop portion, respectively; two lug portions having two lug holes,respectively, wherein the two lug holes are corresponding to each other,and the two lug portions are outwardly extended from the two inclinedportions, respectively; and a connecting bar connected to the two lugholes, wherein the top portion, one inclined portion, one lug portion,the connecting bar, the other lug portion and the other inclined portionare connected to form an opening, and the two sliding bars are arrangedin the opening.
 6. The exercise device of claim 5, wherein the slidingelement further comprises: at least two inclined bearings pivotallyconnected to the two inclined portions, respectively, wherein the twoinclined bearings are rollably disposed on the two sliding bars,respectively, and the sliding element is movable along the slidingtrack.
 7. The exercise device of claim 5, wherein the sliding elementfurther comprises: at least two bottom bearings coaxially and pivotallyconnected to the connecting bar, wherein the two bottom bearings arerollably connected to the two sliding bars, and the sliding element ismovable along the sliding track.
 8. An exercise device, comprising: asliding track; a sliding element movably connected to the sliding track,wherein the sliding element comprises a locked base, an inclinedpositioning hole and a pivoting portion, the locked base has a firstpositioning hole, and there is a second distance between the locked baseand the pivoting portion; a rotating element connected to the slidingelement, wherein the rotating element comprises at least one inclinedfixing hole, an arc track and a pivoting axis, there is a third distancebetween the arc track and the pivoting axis, the second distance isequal to the third distance, the are track is corresponding to the firstpositioning hole, the pivoting axis is pivotally connected to thepivoting portion, and the rotating element is rotatable at an anglerelative to a moving direction of the sliding element; and a lockedelement movably connected to the inclined positioning hole and theinclined fixing hole, wherein the rotating element which is inclined atthe angle relative to the moving direction of the sliding element ispositioned on the sliding element.
 9. The exercise device of claim 8,wherein the angle is larger than or equal to 0 degrees and smaller thanor equal to 40 degrees, the sliding element further comprises a centerpositioning hole, the rotating element further comprises a center fixinghole, when the angle is equal to 0 degrees, the center positioning holeis aligned to the center fixing hole.
 10. The exercise device of claim8, wherein the sliding track comprises two sliding bars, the two slidingbars are arranged parallel to each other and separated by a firstdistance, the pivoting portion is located between the two sliding bars,the pivoting portion has a hollow cylindrical shape, an outer diameterand an inner diameter, the outer diameter of the pivoting portion issmaller than the first distance, the pivoting axis has a cylindricalshape, and a diameter of the pivoting axis is smaller than the innerdiameter of the pivoting portion.
 11. The exercise device of claim 10,wherein the sliding element further comprises: a top portion connectedto the pivoting portion, wherein the first positioning hole is locatedon the top portion; two inclined portions connected to two oppositesides of the top portion, respectively; two lug portions having two lugholes, respectively, wherein the two lug holes are corresponding to eachother, and the two lug portions are outwardly extended from the twoinclined portions, respectively; and a connecting bar connected to thetwo lug holes, wherein the top portion, one inclined portion, one lugportion, the connecting bar, the other lug portion and the otherinclined portion are connected to form an opening, and the two slidingbars are arranged in the opening.
 12. The exercise device of claim 11,wherein the sliding element further comprises: at least two inclinedbearings pivotally connected to the two inclined portions, respectively,wherein the two inclined bearings are rollably disposed on the twosliding bars, respectively, and the sliding element is movable along thesliding track.
 13. The exercise device of claim 11, wherein the slidingelement further comprises: at least two bottom bearings coaxially andpivotally connected to the connecting bar, wherein the two bottombearings are rollably connected to the two sliding bars, and the slidingelement is movable along the sliding track.